111:, known professionally as Ohta-san and Sakuma became a "stellar student". After nearly two years, he became a substitute teacher for Ohta-san’s ukulele classes and then became an instructor. In the early 1970s, Sakuma began work for the City and County of Honolulu as a groundskeeper at Kapiolani Park where he got the idea to launch the first annual Ukulele Festival in 1971. Sakuma, under the guidance of his mentor Moroni Medeiros, culture and arts coordinator with Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, lined up the Hawaii International Ukulele Club and the City & County of Honolulu to sponsor that first free concert. He also volunteered at the nearby Jefferson Elementary School, teaching ukulele classes to students with learning—and physical—disabilities. Sakuma taught for Ohta-san and
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lessons and preserving interest in the ukulele with a mission of sharing the message of laughter, love, and hope through the instrument. Roy Sakuma is invited to speak to students about mental health, bullying, and overcoming insecurities. He often closes his talks by teach the song he wrote, "I Am What I Am,” about self-acceptance.
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until 1974 when he launched Roy Sakuma
Ukulele Studios in Kaimuki. Since then, three additional studio locations opened throughout Oahu. Sakuma’s former students are hired help teach classes. Sakuma married Kathy Kawano Oct. 24, 1976. They have worked together ever since, focusing on teaching ukulele
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The Roy Sakuma
Ukulele Studios opened in 1974. Since then, Roy and his wife, Kathy, have kept Hawaii's cultural mainstay alive by expanding their teaching studios to four locations with their staff of instructors of former students. The Roy Sakuma Method of Ukulele Instruction has brought music to
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Sakuma grew up in a home with mental illness. His mother suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, his brother suffered from the same illness and died when he was 27 of an apparent suicide. By the age of 14, confused by his home life and the teasing by his peers about his congenital ear deformity,
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In 2004, Roy and Kathy Sakuma established
Ukulele Festival Hawaii, a nonprofit organization to continue supporting free ukulele festivals, showcasing the instrument's virtuosity, and providing college scholarships, as well as ukuleles to those in need. The organization's mission is "to bring
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Award-winning albums and songs. Some of the award-winning artists on the label include Herb "Ohta-San" Ohta (instrumental ukulele), Ka'au Crater Boys (island contemporary), Herb Ohta, Jr. (ukulele), Noel
Okimoto (jazz and drums), and Holunape (traditional Hawaiian sounds).
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became a summer tradition and grew into the largest ukulele festival in the world featuring ukulele players from around the world. The highlight of the event is the ukulele orchestra of more than 800 - mostly children. Notable ukulele artists that have participated are
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The Roy Sakuma
Productions record label is home to a collection of musical styles connected to Hawaii's rich, musical heritage. Under the direction of Sakuma, the company produced and recorded a number of
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who got his start as a young student at Roy Sakuma
Studios. Sakuma launched what is considered to be the first major ukulele festival in 1971, an annual event in Honolulu that continued for 52 years.
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He is well known in Hawaii for creating the Roy Sakuma Method, an alphabet-based ukulele instructional course that simplified how students read--and play--music.
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generations of ukulele players and has fostered amateur and professional players alike, many who have gone on to become well-known artists, including
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Ukulele
Festival Hawaii celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020 with a television documentary hosted by Roy Sakuma and Jake Shimabukuro
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After 52 years, Ukulele
Festival Hawaii and founders Roy & Kathy Sakuma celebrated their final event in 2022. Dream fulfilled!
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Learn to Play the
Ukulele with Roy Sakuma - Roy Sakuma Productions (2012) ASIN: B0019ZSLZG
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laughter, love, and hope to children and adults... through the music of the ukulele.
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teacher, credited for sparking new generations of ukulele players and virtuosos like
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Roy Sakuma
Hawaiian Style Ukulele Basic - Musical House, Hawaii ASIN: B000SUYJXG
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Sakuma was kicked out of high school, but found a mentor in ukulele master
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Ukulele Picking Techniques - Roy Sakuma - (2010) ASIN: 0966289757
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611:"Ukulele Festival Hawaii announces its final year in 2022"
326:"Ukulele Festival Hawaii announces its final year in 2022"
165:. Today, there are ukulele festivals all over the world.
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407:. No. 13 September 1966. Honolulu Star-Bulletin
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153:. National celebrities include singer-songwriter
124:The annual Ukulele Festival at Kapiolani Park in
569:. No. 9 June 2008. Honolulu Star-Bulletin
524:. No. 9 June 2008. Honolulu Star Bulletin
589:"50th Anniversary of Ukulele Festival Hawaii"
544:"50th Anniversary of Ukulele Festival Hawaii"
379:"Long Story Short: PBS Interviews Roy Sakuma"
236:Treasury of Ukulele Chords, Japanese version.
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501:. No. 10 July 2022. Honolulu Advertiser
478:. No. 10 July 2022. Honolulu Advertiser
678:. University of Hawaii Press. p. 162.
455:. No. 9 May 2010. Honolulu Advertiser
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656:. The.honoluluadvertiser.com. 2010-05-09
654:"Roy Sakuma always attuned to teaching"
453:"Roy Sakuma Always Attuned to Teaching"
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699:Chee Tsutsumi, Cheryl (11 July 2010).
405:"Patient, 27, Dies in Fall from Hotel"
427:"Appreciation of History: Roy Sakuma"
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791:Hawaii people of Japanese descent
324:Miyashima, Mika (18 April 2022).
701:"Sakuma's Uke Dream Comes True"
303:. University of Hawaii Press.
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635:. Hawaii News Now. 2013-04-17
351:Lopes, Shawn (22 July 2004).
238:Roy Sakuma Productions, 2000.
224:Roy Sakuma Productions, 1998
499:"Strumming the Final Chords"
476:"Strumming the Final Chords"
796:Ukulele players from Hawaii
222:Treasury of Ukulele Chords.
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703:. Honolulu Star-Advertiser
613:. KITV 4 Island Television
332:. KITV 4 Island Television
175:Roy Sakuma Ukulele Studios
723:"Ukulele Festival Hawaii"
87:(born Jan 22, 1947) is a
299:Transquada, Jim (2012).
727:Ukulele Festival Hawaii
674:Tranquada, Jim (2012).
159:Jack Johnson (musician)
120:Ukulele Festival Hawaii
676:The Ukulele: a History
633:"Roy Sakuma Interview"
357:Honolulu Star-Bulletin
301:The Ukulele: A History
192:Roy Sakuma Productions
161:, and jazz guitarist,
801:Musicians from Hawaii
766:I Am What I Am, Video
756:ukulelefesthawaii.org
143:Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
353:"No Sweat, No Fret"
278:ukulelemagazine.com
761:I Am What I Am pdf
451:Dingeman, Robbie.
280:. Ukulele Magazine
145:, Troy Fernandez,
685:978-0-8248-3544-6
591:. Hawaii News Now
567:"Hope & Song"
546:. Hawaii News Now
522:"Hope & Song"
310:978-0-8248-3544-6
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75:1970–present
71:Years active
29:Jan 22, 1947
781:1948 births
131:Eddie Kamae
775:Categories
660:2013-06-13
639:2013-06-13
284:7 December
259:References
182:Paula Fuga
147:Paula Fuga
85:Roy Sakuma
60:Instrument
20:Roy Sakuma
362:9 January
243:Video/DVD
139:Lyle Ritz
109:Herb Ohta
102:Biography
732:28 March
707:26 March
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330:kitv.com
135:Ohta San
54:Hawaiian
336:8 March
206:Charity
126:Waikiki
89:ukulele
64:Ukulele
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184:, and
149:, and
38:Genres
32:Hawaii
215:Books
46:blues
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680:ISBN
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